CAVENDISH UNIVERSITY ZAMBIA

EXTERNAL JOB ADVERT – BUSINESS ANALYST

JOB TITLE: Business Analyst

COMPANY NAME: Cavendish University Zambia

LOCATION: Lusaka, Zambia

JOB DESCRIPTION:

1. Job Purpose

The Business Analyst will transform institutional data into actionable insights that improve Cavendish University Zambia’s operational, academic and financial performance. The role will analyse performance across the student lifecycle, resource utilisation, enrolment, marketing, faculties and other university operations; develop dashboards, forecasts and decision-support tools; identify opportunities for process improvement; and work closely with IT and business units to strengthen data quality, systems and reporting capabilities.

2. Key Duties and Responsibilities

Data, Business Intelligence and Institutional Performance

• Collect, validate, analyse and interpret operational, academic, financial and student data to identify trends, performance gaps, risks and opportunities.
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve institutional KPI dashboards and management reports, including weekly operational reporting.
• Provide concise analysis of material variances and emerging trends, including recommendations or areas requiring management attention.
• Use appropriate business-intelligence and analytical tools to automate recurring reports and reduce manual reporting wherever practical.

Student Lifecycle and Enrolment Analytics

• Analyse the student lifecycle from inquiry, application and admission through registration, enrolment, start, progression, re-enrolment, graduation and graduate outcomes, using the University’s approved operating definitions.
• Analyse enrolment, retention, attrition, progression and re-enrolment trends by faculty, programme, intake, study mode and other relevant segments.
• Support early identification of material enrolment, retention or progression risks and provide analysis to assist management interventions.
• Provide Marketing & Enrolment with analysis of campaign effectiveness, lead and conversion performance, recruitment channels and relevant industry benchmarking.

Resource Utilisation and Financial Analysis

• Analyse classroom, laboratory, lecturer and other institutional resource utilisation to support efficient allocation and capacity planning.
• Support Deans, Programme Coordinators and management with analysis of faculty and programme performance, including enrolment, revenue, cost drivers, budget-to-actual performance and other agreed business measures.
• Develop forecasting and scenario models to support enrolment planning, staffing, facilities utilisation, resource allocation and other institutional decisions.

Data Quality, Systems and Business Analysis

• Work with data owners and IT to strengthen the integrity, consistency, accessibility and appropriate governance of data across University systems and databases.
• Serve as the business liaison between University departments and IT by translating operational requirements into data, reporting, system and process requirements.
• Document business requirements, process flows and functional requirements and support user acceptance testing and implementation of approved system improvements.
• Identify inefficient or duplicative business processes, recommend improvements and support measurement of results after implementation.
• Support appropriate role-based access, data confidentiality and data-quality controls in collaboration with IT and relevant process owners; system administration and academic approvals remain with the responsible functions.

Analytics Innovation and AI Enablement

• Use modern analytics and AI-enabled productivity tools, where appropriate, to improve analysis, reporting, forecasting and process improvement while maintaining data security, confidentiality, accuracy and human oversight.
• Identify practical opportunities to automate repetitive analytical and reporting activities and improve management access to timely information.
• Build the analytical capability of managers, Deans and other users by developing intuitive tools, dashboards and guidance that enable effective use of institutional data.

3. Key Performance Indicators / Expected Outcomes

• Timeliness, accuracy and usefulness of institutional KPI reports and dashboards.
• Improvement in data quality, consistency and availability across agreed reporting areas.
• Reduction in manual effort and turnaround time for recurring management reports through appropriate automation.
• Timely identification and communication of material performance variances, trends, risks and opportunities.
• Quality and usefulness of forecasts, scenario analyses and decision-support tools.
• Business-process improvements identified, supported and measured for impact.
• Adoption and effective use of dashboards and analytical tools by management and relevant departments.
• Responsiveness and quality of analytical support provided to faculties and administrative departments.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Analytics, Data Analytics/Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems, Computer Science, IT or a related discipline from a reputable university. A relevant Master’s degree will be an added advantage.
• Minimum three to five years of relevant experience in business analysis, data analytics, management information, institutional research or a related function.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including advanced formulas, data analysis, pivot tables and data modelling.
• Working knowledge of SQL and relational databases; ability to extract, validate and analyse data from multiple sources.
• Proficiency in Power BI or a comparable business-intelligence/dashboard platform is highly desirable; knowledge of Power Query and/or DAX is an advantage.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and quantitative reasoning skills, with the ability to translate data into clear business insights and recommendations.
• Excellent report-writing, data-visualisation, presentation and stakeholder-communication skills.
• Understanding of business-process mapping, requirements gathering and process improvement.
• Ability to work across academic and non-academic functions, manage competing priorities and operate effectively with limited supervision.
• High level of integrity and sound judgement in handling confidential institutional, student and financial information.
• Ability to use modern AI-enabled productivity and analytical tools responsibly is an advantage.